Linus Yale, Jr. (1821-1868)

Linus Yale, Jr. (April 4, 1821 – December 25, 1868) was an American mechanical engineer and manufacturer, best known for his inventions of locks, especially the cylinder lock. His basic lock design is still widely distributed today, and constitute a majority of personal locks and safes. Linus Yale, Jr. was born in Salisbury, New York.

Yale’s father, Linus Yale, Sr. opened a lock shop in the 1840s in Newport, New York, specializing in bank locks. Yale soon joined his father in his business and introduced some revolutionary locks that utilized permutations and cylinders. He later founded a company with Henry Robinson Towne in the South End section of Stamford, Connecticut, called the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company. Throughout his career in lock manufacturing, Yale acquired numerous patents for his inventions and received widespread acclaim from clients regarding his products.